Impregnated, disposable brush and wiper



y 6, 1968 R. v. MATHISON 3,392,421

IMPREGNATED, DISPOSABLE BRUSH AND WIPER Original Filed Aug. 22, 1966 INVENTOR.

ROBERT V. MATH l SON United States Patent 3,392,421 IMPREGNATED, DISPOSABLE BRUSH AND WIPER Robert V. Mathison, 5 Woodcrest Road, P.0. Box 730,

Asheville, N.C. 28202 Continuation of application Ser. No. 574,017, Aug. 22,

1966. This application Oct. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 678,100 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-104.93)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable brush and wiper impregnated with a cleaning agent for effecting a combination polishing, buffing and scrubbing action consists of a polyurethane pad with still bristles secured to the base and disposed throughout the body of the pad, said bristles being flush with the top surface of the pad when no pressure is applied but project above the surface upon the application of pressure.

This invention relates to a combined brush and wiper which is disposable; more particularly, the invention relates to an improved brush and wiper that can be discarded after a single use and which combines into one element an effective means for polishing and bufliug, attributable to a flexible open pore polyurethane structure and a more severe cleaning and scrubbing action characteristic of the natural or synthetic bristle-type brushes. This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 574,- 017, filed Aug. 22, 1966, now abandoned.

Many difierent disposable-type brushes are known and are covered by many expired and unexpired patents, but yet for various reasons they have not met with any real significant commercial success. All the reasons for this lack of success are not completely known, but, as pointed out in U.S. Patent No. 2,915,767, lack of success and public acceptance is believed to be at least partially caused by the failure of the presently known types to fulfill certain requirements which would lend them attractive enough to be accepted by users in quantity. Lack of acceptance is believed to be because the costs of known devices are too excessive and is at least partly caused by the cost incurred in using expensive modes of manufacture which has to be passed on to purchasers and which prevents their sale at a cost which would make their use attractive. In other words, the cost to purchasers is not low enough to make users want to throw them away after only one use. Moreover, the known disposable brushes that are made inexpensively and by low cost production methods are not durable enough to stand up under conditions found in normal every day use and in most cases they just do not possess the strength and stability to afford a satisfactory brushing action. Perhaps more importantly, the various presently known disposable brushes :are not as efficient in their cleaning action as the known and widely accepted permanent multiuse brushes.

Recent patents have been granted showing structural improvements in single-use brushes and particularly to brushes having as a singular purpose the cleaning of teeth. Some of the more recent of these are U.S. Patent No. 2,719,315; U. S. Patent No. 2,736,917; and U.S. Patent No. 2,893,036. These patents include brush structures uniquely designed to be fixed or held by a single finger and/ or inserted in the end of a specially designed handle.

Other patents, including U.S. Patent No. 2,893,036, teach incorporating a cleaning agent, coated on or in some manner deposited onto the bristle portion of the brush. In forming this type brush, and as particularly shown by the said patent, a sheet composed of a rigid bottom layer is bound to an expandable, intermediate layer made from a cellulosic material, which in turn is bound to a top bristle layer. All components are separate and distinct layers individually bound together using a cement. The cleaning agent is poured over the bristle layer and the thus laminated structure is then cut to proper size and packaged for sale.

Notwithstanding the fact that the above discussed prior art disposable brushes have certain merit and contribute to the advancement of the art, their cost of production is too excessive to permit them to be relatively cheaply sold and, moreover, none are known to have advantages attendant with a compact, single unitary structure :and including both a mildly abrasive cleaning and polishing facility.

It is therfore a principal object of this invention to provide an article which may be discarded after a single use and combining means providing polishing, bufiing, and in general, a mildly abrasive act-ion with means providing a more severe scrubbing action attributable to bristles and the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable brush of excellent construction which can be manufactured at low cost by conventional commercially available high speed manufacturing equipment.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a low cost and eflicient disposable brush and wiper which may include a completely self-contained cleaning agent therein.

In brief, the objects according to this invention are accomplished by forming disposable brushes including (1) a pad constructed of polyurethane foam and of a thickness, cell structure and density permitting compression that is (2) penetrated vertically by a plurality of relativly stiff monofilament bristles of conventional bristle materials, e.g., high viscosity nylon, highly condensed polyesters, or a mixture of such bristles, and (3) wherein all the bristles are in effect locked in the base of the polyurethane pad. Hence, the uniquely designed structure according to the invention includes structure having the polishing, buffing and abrasive ability of polyurethane advantageously combined with structure having a more severe cleaning and scrubbing action of conventional brushes.

In constructing the disposable device according to the present invention, an expanded polyurethane pad structure such as a sheet or pad of proper thickness, cell structure, and density, is vertically penetrated by a plurality of monofilament bristles of nylon, polyester, or the like. Critical to the invention the spaced apart bristles are embedded in the base of the pad, and rise upwardly therethrough. The polyurethane pad-like structure and with the relative vertical positioning of the bristles is provided by a tufting operation using conventional tufting machines. and therefore results in a disposable pad constructed similar to tufted rugs and carpeting. In the operation, each stroke realizes a loop or bight which is then knotted to secure or lock the bristle material in the base of the foam pad. Alternatively, if desired, the bristles can further be positively secured in their respective positions at the top and bottom of the tufted pad using conventional cement. The sheet or pad is then impregnated with a suitable cleanser, such as an abrasive agent, or dentifrice, and can be a material of such nature that when wetted with water it is activated.

After the addition of the cleanser is completed, and as mentioned briefly above, the polyurethane foam with bristles vertically secured therein can be cut through the horizontal center by using conventional polyurethane cutting equipment, thereby producing two sheets of any desired size or shape. The resulting pads will be fiat and the cut bristles on the side which was cut will be substantially flush with the surface of the polyurethane pad.

3 When the surface of the pad is depressed and the back of the pad is positioned and maintained by a convenient holder or handle, the bristles will protrude from the polyurethane when under compression and in use.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the pad of polyurethane with the bristles included therein before being divided into two equal parts by a conventional cutting operation;

FIGURE 2 shows a perspective view of a single pad cut therefrom along lines II of FIGURE 1 and containing the embedded and spaced bristles which penetrate the polyurethane in a vertical direction and under compression when in use; and

FIGURE 3 shows a perspective view of the remaining section cut from the structures shown in FIGURE 1 and not under compression.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the new disposable article comprises the resilient polyurethane pad 2 with a plurality of short, spaced apart bristles 4 which are embedded in the pad and which extend through the pad. In FIGURE 2, bristles 4 are shown to project a distance above the surface of the pad when under compression.

In FIGURE 3, the bristles are shown to be flush with the surface of the pad when not under compression.

The under surface of pad 2 can be coated with an adhesive or cement binder which further serves to support and fixedly maintain the bristles in the vertical position within the pad.

The resilient pad can be made in various shapes and sizes and preferably the shape will be based on the described arrangement of the bristles.

A rectangular design is shown in FIGURES 1-3, but it should be understood, however, that other shapes can be employed. The preferred materials used in construction are the ones above mentioned, e.g., the polyurethane pad and nylon or polyester bristles, although certainly other materials can be substituted if desired, since obviously modifications and changes can be made without departing from the basic design.

In the operation of the brush when pressure is applied in the presence of the activating fluid, such as water, the bristle surface, the polishing polyurethane surface, and the cleaning agent work together and simultaneously give a cleaning and polishing action to the surfaces being acted upon thereby. In addition to being an ideal construction for retaining the dehydrated cleanser and providing polishing effects of its own, the polyurethane aids in positioning and maintaining the bristles in a vertical position.

In the manufacture of novel disposable brushes according to this invention, various tufting machines can be used. For example, the Super Tufter model 45 DT, manufactured by the Singer Company, Coble Division, is suitable. The bristles to be tufted can be made of any suitable material, such as synthetic high polymer monofilaments of the usual diameter depending on the end use. The filaments can be split or have frayed ends to increase the surface area of the bristles when pressure is applied.

After tufting, the filaments will extend through the resilient polyurethane foam pad and will be embedded and, accordingly, locked on the back side. They can be placed either in groups or can be mounted individually wherein either embodiment is generally spaced apart from one another generally in parallel rows. A looped or knotted construction of the bristles forming the backing of the article is the preferred type of construction. Such construction aids or imparts rigidity or support to the bristles or groups of bristles passing completely vertically through the polyurethane structure.

The disposable brush and wiper can be supported by any conventional quick detachable rigid type handle made from plastic or other suitable materials. The construction of the handle may be, for example, such as described in US. Patent No. 2,893,036 wherein the pad support structure is supported in a grooved end portion thereof. Other structures are suitable for holding the novel disposable brush for use. For example, the structure as shown in US. Patent No. 3,214,816 has been found satisfactory. In general, any quick detachable handle structure can be used.

The articles are particularly suitable for cleaning teeth, and find application in motels or hotels where they can be an additional incentive to prospective occupants. The small additional expense to the owners of the lodgings is more than offset by the inducement to travelers to stay overnight.

Of course, these articles can have multiple end uses such as in cleaning homes, large public buildings, auditoriums, and the like where they are cleaned only periodically at spaced intervals. They will in all probability be severely worn after intensive use over a large area so that discarding after one or two uses is practical economically.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable, combined brush and wiper for industrial and home cleaning purposes, comprising in combination a continuous resilient pad of polyurethane foam impregnated with a cleaning agent and tufts comprising stiff synthetic linear high polymer monofilament bristles disposed vertically and uniformly throughout the horizontal body of the pad and embedded therein, said bristles being tufted in said pad and means securing same to the base of the pad, said bristles projecting through and flush with the top surface of the pad when there is no pressure thereon, said bristles further being adapted to effectively project above the top surface of the pad upon the application of pressure to thereby provide means for effecting a combination polishing and buffing action while simultaneously effectiving a scrubbing action with the bristles.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,915,767 12/1959 Vaughan 1518 3,038,187 6/ 1962 Nathanson 15-1 18 3,088,158 5/1963 Boyle 15-10493 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,133,161 11/1956 France.

490,174 8/ 1938 Great Britain.

779,187 7/1957 Great Britain.

821,702 10/1959 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

